Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

5 articles on this Page

FATAL SHOP FIRE AT WREXHAM.

News
Cite
Share

FATAL SHOP FIRE AT WREXHAM. MOTHER AND CHILD SUFFOCATED. HEART-RENDING SCENES. GALLANT ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE. An alarm of fire was received at the fire station shortly after midnight on Friday and the brigade, Older Captain Scott, proceeded immediately to the (cene of the conflagration, a shop occupied by Mr H. Gibson, in Abbot-street. It was found that the premises were well alight, and the brigade im- mediately got to work with the hose. The excitement was intense when it was discovered that all the occapants had not escaped from the bcrning building. It tran3pired that Mrs Gibson, wife of the tenant .'who had only recently been confined) was in bed in the front room, and every effort was made to rescue her and the infant from the dense smoke and flamea. At one time she appeared at the window, and not- withstanding the gallant attempts of Fireman McCarthy, Mr Walter Roberts, P.C.'s Owens and Ily. ioneii, and others, she was seen to fall back into the room. McCarthy made several attempts to get into the room where the woman and child lay. but Wt;3 re- peiltedly driven .back by the smoke and flames until the tire bad been somewhat subdued by the vclsmes 3f water poured upon it, and when he euceeded at last in getting them out it was found they were both quite dead, and the bodies were conveyed by the police to the Infirmary. Daring the course of the conflagration three of the Occupants o the house had narrow escapes. One, a kdger—a man with a wooden leg—jumped from one of ihe bedroom windows into a policeman's cape which waa held out for him, and sustained no injury. The man bad apparently had no time previous to his leap to adjust his wooden leg, and this was subsequently found in the bedroom which he had occupied. Mr Gibson and a servant girl also succeeded in escapin g by dropping through the back bedroom window, and they were, like the lodger, fortunate euongh to escape idjury. A representative of the Advertiser visited the scene of the fire early this morning, and found the lower rocma and the back bedroom completely gutted, but the front room where the mother and child lost their liveE, appeared almost untouched by the flames, some of the bed clothes only being slightly singed, BO that thev must have been suffocated with the dense smoke and intense heat from the burning shop below. The brigade succeeded in confining the fire to the shop of Mr Gibson, aud the premises on either side, a public-house and a tobacco shop, were almost untouched. The origin of the fire is unknown. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. One of the most awful scenes which it has been the lot of 110 Wrenhamite so behold, occurred in Abbot- street shortly before one o'clock on Saturday morning, when a fire, terrible in its results, broke oat in the sweet shop occupied by Mr and Mrs Gibson. The fire was discovered shortly before 12.30 by the husband, who at once rushed for the Fire Brigade. P.C. R. J. Owen waa parading Hope- street at the time, and hearing shouts in the neighbourhood of Abbot-street, he harried to the spot, and found the shop enveloped in flames- A crippled lodger named Savage, lpho was hanging on to the window-cill. threw himself on to the policeman's cape which was being held oat by Owens and a few civilians, and was thus saved. The fire had taken a complete hold of the shop and back premises, and, fanned by a strong wind, threatened complete deetruction, The poor woman, Mrs Gibson, who with her fourteen dava old child were the only remaining occupants of the house, was seen crying for help in the bedroom window, and Policeman R. J. Owens burst open the back door, and bravely encoun- tered the names i but before getting half-way up the stairs the condition cf affairs proved too much for him, and he was compelled to beat a hasty retreat. Nothing daunted, however, he, tocether with Mr Walter Roberts, made a second attempt at rescue, but, owing to the increasing fury of the fire, they failed to accomplish their object. In the meantime the Fire Brigade, under Captain J. J. Scott, and the esoape had turned up with almost lightning rapidity. Two jets were im- mediately turned upon the burning mass, and Fire- man McCarthy made several plucky attempts to enter the bedroom through the window, but he was driven back by the fire, and the live. of the young mother and child were almost despaired of. The firemen who were very ably assisted by P.S. Salisbury, P.C.'a T. P. Rees, Henry Jones, Manuel Davies, R. J. Owen, and Owens (7. worked with a courage and determination that won for them the admiration of all who were present. Attempt after attempt was made to reecue Mrs Gibson and child but with- out avail, and ultimately when the conflagration was got under control the bedroom window was smashed and Fireman McCarthy on entering the bedroom met a terrible sight. The poor woman and :he child, who were lying upon the bed had been suffocated. The bodies were conveyed down the ladder by McCarthy, the pathetic scene moving many of the spectators to tears. The bodies were taken to the Crown Inn, and afterwards to the mortuary at the Infirmary. The woodwork and furniture in the shop and dwelling were destroyed, only the brick- work remaining. Thanka to the brigade the adjoin- ing property was saved. I From our Saturday morning Edition.] INQUEST ON THE VICTIMS. DISTRESSING EVIDENCE. I The inquest on the bodies ef Elizabeth Esther Gibson, wile of Henry William Gibson, compositor, and her infant child, the victims of the tertible fire in Abbot-street, wr.-s held in the County Buildings, Wrexham, on Saturday, before Mr W. Wynn Evans, coroner, and a jurv, of whom air R. Sauvage was foreman. LJei^uty-Chief Constable Edward Jones, and Captain Scott, of the Fire Brigade, were also present. The Coroner, addressing the jury said Too bavo been summoned to inquire into the circumstances attending th^ death of a woman, named Elizabeth Esther Gibson, the wife of Henry William Gibson, of 3. Abbot-stieet, alld her infant child, fourteen days' old, who met with their death on Friday night under very sad and tragic circumstances. It appears that shortly after midnight, an alarm of fire was given, and the house and Ehop were well alight at that time. There were in the house Henry William Gibson, his wife and child, a lodger named Savage, and Emily Jones, a nurse girl. Gibson went through the back to Rive an alarm of the fire, and the girl and the loüger eacapsd through the front window. But by some means, which appear to me at present incom- prehensible-but upon which we shall probably have some light thrown by this inqriry-eveiryone seemed to have forgotten, that in the front bedroom were the unfortunate deceased woman and her baby, a fort- night oid. No one appeared to think of ihisuntil some- time after the alarm wasgiven, and before the woman and child could be reached they had .evidently been suffocated, and their bodies were afterwards found in the front room. The woman's body wa's only slightly burned, and there were no burns on the child. We shall have to inqnire fully into the cir- cumstances, but yon will now first have the painful dutv of viewinc the bodies. The jury having returned from viewing the bodies, etidenee was taken. Dr. E. D. Evans, who was first called, said he was called to the house about two o'clock that (Saturday) morning, and when he got there he saw the woman and child in a public-house (the Crown Inn) next door, where they had been removed. People did not know that the woman and child were dead then, but he found them both dead. As to the came of death, there were several superficial burns on the body, legs, and arms, but be considered death was due to suffocation. The woman bad been recently con- lined, and she would be therefore less able to stand the shock. The burns, he did not think, would have, of themselves, caused death in either case. Henry Wm. Gibson, husband of the deceased, said he was a compositor at Messrs Hughes and Son. lie kept a small sweet and toy shop in Abbot-street. His wife was between thirty-four and thirty.six years of age, bilt he could not f ay more exactly. The child, a girl, would have been three weeks old on Tuesday. Witness went to bed abont 11.30, the lodger (Savage) going with him. Every one else in the house had gone to bed before this. There were only two rooms upstairs, and witness and Savage slept together in the back bedroom. The stairway led into the back room, and there was gas in the house downstairs., and witness generally turned it off at night, but c td not do so during the present week. He lisd been in bed about half-an-hour when he heard a noi u, coming as if from the sbo-o-the noise being like n. falling noise. He slipned on his trousers and shirt, and hurried downstairs, and 011 opening tbedoor into the shop found the place full of smoke. He rushed to the stairs crying out, The place is on fire." Savage then got up and went to rouse witness a wife and the girl The Coroner Did you.hear bim rouse them —Yes. I Did you hear them reply ? Witness: No, because I was losing no time to go for the fire brigade. Continuing, witness said that Savage called to him, u Rush as fast as you can to the Fire Station; I will do my best to rouse the others." Witness hnrriod off to tht Fire Station. PLnd Fireman McCarthy answered him, and witness said to him, Come with all promptitude, the place is on fire." Witness then hurried back to the shop to see what he could do. By that tiinethe place was com- pletely gutted. Savage met him at the door, and said he had tried his best to bring his wife out, hut failed. The Coroner: He has a wooden ieg, has he not ? Witness: Yea. If he had had both hia legs I believe he could have saved them. The Coroner: On the spur of the moment you rushed to the fire station, and if you had had time to think you would have seen your wife and child out first. Witness: Yes. I thought I could get back and then render assistance. The Coroner: You did not realise that the fire would get hold so quickly. How long were you away ? Witness: Not many minutes. I did not stop on the way to the Guildhall, and trotted all the way back. Witness said he only had his trousers and shirt on as the time*, and all his clothing had been destroyed-in fact, added witness with great emotion, I do not think there is a single memento of my family left." The witness here completely broke down, and he was allowed to go into another room, the coroner stating that he would call him again. Thomas Savage, tailor, employed at Mr Ed. Lloyd's, Regent-street, said he accompanied the previous witness to bed on Friday tiight, they being the last to go up. Neither Gibson nor witness went into the shop before they went to bed. Witness was soon asleep, and was awakened by Gibson calling excitedly, Hurry up, there's a fire." Witness got up leisurely, thinking it was only a trifling fire, but on getting half way downstairs the smoke was eo dense that he saw it was more than an ordinary fire. He therefore went back again and into the front bedroom. He shouted "Fire!" but the room was so full of smoke that he could not say whether the occupants, Mrs Gibson, her child, and the girl, were in bed or not, though he shouted to them to get up. Someone answered him in a dazed kind of way, but he did not think tboe in the room realised the danger they were in. He went further into the room, broke the window, a-id taking hold of Mrs Gibaon pulled her to the window. Just then the girl Jones jumped through the window into the street. Witness could not push Mrs Gibson on to the short ledge outside the window, so he went out himself and tried to pull her, but she was half unconscious, did not seem aware of her position, and tried to get away from him. The woman shouted for her baby, although witness believed he heard it crying in her arms. He tyed to take the child from her, saying he would pass it to a policeman in the street, but Mrs Gibson did not answer. He kept her as far out of the room as he :!ould-the flames playing about him the while-uutil the police and the crowd below shouted to him to jamp, or he would be burnt also. He, however, kept hold of the woman until the flames got hold of him, and then he did not know whether he jumped or fell, but he got into the street, and paw no more of Mra Gibaon. The Coroner (indicating a bandage on the man's hand): I see you have been burnt ? Witness: No, I think my wrist is broken. When I was tust3ellng with Mrs Gibson I had not had time to fix my wooden leg, and had no crutch, otherwise I think I should have saved her. The Coroner Well, you did your best, and I don't think you could have done more. Witness: When I got into the street I shouted that the woman wa3 in the building. Emily Jones, the girl above-named, said she was waiting upon Mrs Gibson during her confinement, and slept in the same room with her. Witness did not go into the shop on Saturday night after the gaa had been lit, and it was alight when she went to bed at eleven o'clock. She went to sleep soon, and the next she heard was Savase coming to the room and shouting" Fire!" Witness and Mrs Gibson both got up. The room was full of smoke, and witness had ta look about for the window. Savage onened the window and witness jumped out, the lodger at that time trying to rescue Mrs Gibson, who seemed dazed. The Coroner: Did you shont when you got out- side ?-No. Did it not occur to you to teU them outside that Savaee and the woman were in the house ? Witness No, it did not occur to me. The Coroner Did anyone try to rescue the woman from outside ? Witness: There was such a blaze in front, but someone went down the back entry. P.C. R. J. Owen said he was on duty in Hope- street about 12.35 a.m. on Saturday morning, when he heard what he thought was a disturbance in the direction of Brookside. He went down Hope-street and Back Chamber-street, and coming into Abbot- street saw Gibson's shop in flames. Witness saw a man in his shirt sleeves standing outside on the wood- work over the door, and, thinking he was the husband, asked him to throw the children down into the arms of the byestanders. The man kept dawdling about the window, and as witness could not see what he was doing, and as he seemed in danger, he asked him to jump into his (witness's) cape, which be and some other men held. This Savage did. Witness then forced open the back entry door and the back door of the house, but the fumes in the kitchen were so strong that he could not proceed. He attempted a second time, but had to come back. Mr Walter Roberts then came up, and witness tied a handkerchief around Mr Roberta's mouth, and both tried to get up the stairs. The fumes, however, overcame Mr Roberts, and witness had to carry him out. The Coroner: Yon made evezy effort to get to this woman ? Witness: Yes, I did all I could, and so did Mr Roberts. A Juryman: Were no attempts made to get to the woman from the front ? Witness: It was impossible in consequence of the flames. The Coroner (to the jury): I think you will agree with me that the officer did all he could have done, and deserves commendation for his promptitude. Mr Walter R3berts was next called. The Coroner: You are an ironmonger I believe, Mr Roberts. and a member of the Fire Brigade ? Mr Roberts: No; an ex-member. But you do not refuse to act ? Witness: No. Continuing, Mr Roberts paid at 12.30 he was standing talking to Mr Hughes, butcher, in High-street, when he heard a shout from the direction of Brook-street. Afterwards he saw people rushing down Back Chamber-street shouting Fire." He immediately ran down Back Chamber- street and into Abbot-street,! and there saw Gibain half-naked and exhausted with running. He also noticed that the shop was then a complete furnace, the flames reaching to the bedroom windows. No one seemed to be doing anything—they did not apoear to know what to do-except the police officer. Wit- ness asked if there was a ladder about to get up to the window, but was told there was not. He then went round to the back and saw P.C. Owen in the kitchen, which was full of smoke, He went into the kitchen, bnt had to come back azain. P.C. Owen then put a handkerchief around witness's mouth, and they both went into the kitchen towards the stairs and shouted very loudly, but had to come out again. Witness went into the street again, and some one said they saw the woman at the window of the bed- room, which was then in flames. In five minutes fireman McCarthy came up with the fire escape, and tried to get in at the window three times, whilst witness turned water on the flames, There was a paraffin lamp in the kitchen, and witness did not know if it had exploded or not, but the fumea from it were very strong, and made things worse. Witness added that there was no possible chance for the con- stable or anyone to get near the stairs. The Coroner I am told you made every effort you could. Witness I thought if the woman had been at the top of the stairs she might have jumpsd to us. The Coroner And you were overcome yourself, I think ? Mr Roberts eaid he thought it was the paraffin that caused that. He added that the flames were SCOn got under when the brigade arrived, and then McCarthy brought ths woman and child out of the room. Replying to the Coroner, witness said he thought the fire originated in the shod Fireman McCarthy said Gibson cam? to the fire station and told him of t'la outbreak at 12 3b. Wit- ness was on the road in four minutes with the escape, and the other men followed with the reel cart. Wnen he arrived in Abbot-street the shop and house was a furnace. The Coroner Is it your opinion that the fire originated in the shop ? Witness I think so. Continuing, McCarthy said he made perhaps a dozen attempta to get in at the window. He was burnt in one or two places, and the escape was also partially burnt. He at last got into the room, and found Mrs Gibson lying on her back partly in and partly out of the bed, and the baby was on her breast. She had hold of the child so firmly that witness had difficulty in getting it from her. After he got it away he put Mrs Gibaon over his shoulder, and as he w&a carrying her he heard a noise in her throat, and she was sick over him. The Foreman of the Jury Without desiring to throw any reflection upon the promptitude of the brigade—indeed in this instance I know, byicg on the spot, that thoy were on the scene very qllickly-I should like to ask what the method is of calling the brigade. Mr McCarthy said at present they had the call boy system-men being employed to call the firemen- but the electric bell system was in progress. On this occasion he called the call boys and they after- wards called the firemen. The Foreman said he thought the conduct of every one who assisted at the fire on Saturday was excellent, and that they deserved praise for it. The Coroner I was going to say the same thing. Mr Walter Roberts, McCarthy, Savage, and P.C. Owen deserve great praise for their pluck. Captain Scott, called here by the Coroner, in respect to the method of calling the brigade, was first asked what idea he had as to the cause of the fire. To this he replied that he had looked round, and had no idea at all, though it rather seemed to him to have originated in the kitchen. The Coroner I believe the place is inaured ? Captain Scott: Yes, I think so; the stock and the building. The Coroner For how much? Captain Scott conld not say. He believed the building was fully insured, but did not know about the stock. As to the method of apprising the tire- men witness said that at present, when an alarm came, the call boys were first called, then they called the firemeD, and the latter had to come to the Fire Station before starting ? The Coroner Do the call boys live together ? Captain Scott: No, but as near together as possible. Still the system is a bad one, and causes much delay, as the call boys have to go to firemen perhaps at Newtown and Hightown. The placiniz of electric bells in the house of each fireman is now, however, in progress. and this will save much time. Henry Wm. Gibson was now recalled, and in answer to the Coroner said he had no idea how the fire originated. The gas in the shop was sometimes turned out by Savage, and sometimes by oher-3, bat witnese did not rcuumber turning it out on Friday night. He could n )t say if it was turned out at eleven o'clock. It had been his habit to turn the gas off at the meter, bet he did not think that had been done for some dava recently. Savage stated that he tnrned the gas low in the shop on Friday bat not quite oat. Gibson, replying to farther questions, said he thought the stock and furniture were insured in some National Union for £ 120. He could not say who issued the policy. Savage, interposing, said Mrs Gibson issued the policy. The Coroner Was the policy burnt ? Gibson: Yes, everything, air. The Coroner, in summing up, said he considered there Was no necessity to adjourn the inquiry as they had now all the facts they were likely to get, and he did not know that he could add anything to what had beeu said. Gibson apparently lost his j head, or no doubt the first thing he would have done would have been to get his wife and child out of the bou3e. But they could well understand this it waa what many of them might have done. No doubt Gibson did not think the place would blaze up so quickly, and believed be could have given the assistance necessary when he came back. Bat the premises had been smouldering probably for a considerable time, and the opening of the doors and the high wind gave the fire such a hold that nothing could be done. Savage did all he could, having only one leg, to rescue tbe woman, and the )o.tter evidently lost her wits and did not know what she was doing. H. (the Coroner) did not think anyone to blame. It was a great pity that- Savage and Gibsou were not able to poasess them- selves more fully, bat who of them could under such circumstances ? The police and all who assisted in connection with the fire were deserving of credit for what they did. The jury no doubt would think with him that this was a case of accidental suffocation. The Foreman said that was the unanimous opinion of the jury and they returned a verdict accordingly. They desired to add a rider complimenting the fire brigade, McCarthy, Savage, the Constable (Owen), and Mr Walter Roberts for the gailiut attempts they made to save the woman and child, and also an expression of sympathy wuh Gibson in his bereave- ment. The Coroner I join in that expression.

WREXHAM SCIENCE AND ART SCHOOLS.

- .—-.-TO SCEPTICAL ASTHMATICS.

RUABON PAROCHIAL CHARITIES.

Advertising